1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic messaging or “email” has become one of the most frequently used communications tools of the modern world. In fact, email has become a preferred means of communication in both private and commercial settings. Email is used to communicate every form of information including, but not limited to, confidential and, often, personal information. Unfortunately, email often is communicated to unintended recipient parties (individuals and groups) simply because a sender does not confirm correctness of a specified recipient's address information (e.g., an email address—such as JOE@domainname.com). The risks associated with such erroneous message transmission are exacerbated by the fact that often a single click of a messaging client toolbar button (e.g., a SEND button) can result in sending email to unintended, and, possibly, unknown parties (as in the case of incorrectly responding to unsolicited email). Accordingly, it can be said that such unintended email transmissions result from a general lack of safeguards provided by messaging client applications. And, as communications technologies have and continue to develop beyond email into instant messaging, and other non-voice-to-voice modes, for example, the problems associated with erroneous transmission are compounded.
Thus, there exists a need to provide new and improved systems and methods that will help senders of email and other similar messages (e.g., instant messages) to send their messages to actually intended recipients and to avoid erroneous transmission of messages.